Your Lord & Your Labor
“Six days you shall labor, and do all your work.” Deuteronomy 5:13
“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men,…” Colossians 3:23
Since the time of Adam labor has been part of God’s strategy for our lives. We’ve been programmed to need one day of rest for six days of labor. I can’t speak for you, but I’ve found in my own life this is so true. Certainly, we can work more than six days straight, but I’ve found there’s a “point of diminishing returns” when I do. I may work longer, but the results actually decrease. When I attack my work God’s way, everybody wins. When I do it my way, the results are poorer.
When Labor Day was created in 1882 it was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution in protest to the unreasonable labor demands being placed on the working class. It was first honored on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. In 1884 the Central Labor Union identified the first Monday in September as the designated day to focus our thoughts on what our labor is all about and the right way to go about it. Nine years later, Congress voted to make it a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and eventually every state followed suit. It’s clear, everyone who has thought it through agrees: it’s important to take our labor seriously, for Christians there’s more than one reason….
If you are a Christian, you’ve come to appreciate the great personal benefits of an ongoing relationship with the Living Lord. True Christians can’t keep their excitement to themselves (when we find a treasure, we’re excited and what to tell people!). Unfortunately, often when we share it, the unbeliever, or skeptic, isn’t interested. How can we get their attention? By speaking their own language and gaining their respect. Demonstrating an impressive work record gets a lot of people’s attention. Once we’ve earned an open relationship with others through our works, we can begin to briefly share how our relationship with Christ helps us in our work. That leads to opportunities to share more in-depth witnessing. That can lead to inviting your co-working non-believer to church with you. I can’t count how many times over the years the Lord has led non-believers to Christ through me by first earning their respect in our mutual work assignments. Or, sometimes, it’s a matter of discovering that a coworker is a fellow believer and through our work our spiritual relationship emerges: a brotherly/sisterly bond explodes, and work becomes exciting! The specific work we are doing is irrelevant: the point is, doing it for the right purpose….
“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men,…” Colossians 3:23
Blessing Always In All Ways,
Steve
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“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men,…” Colossians 3:23
Since the time of Adam labor has been part of God’s strategy for our lives. We’ve been programmed to need one day of rest for six days of labor. I can’t speak for you, but I’ve found in my own life this is so true. Certainly, we can work more than six days straight, but I’ve found there’s a “point of diminishing returns” when I do. I may work longer, but the results actually decrease. When I attack my work God’s way, everybody wins. When I do it my way, the results are poorer.
When Labor Day was created in 1882 it was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution in protest to the unreasonable labor demands being placed on the working class. It was first honored on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. In 1884 the Central Labor Union identified the first Monday in September as the designated day to focus our thoughts on what our labor is all about and the right way to go about it. Nine years later, Congress voted to make it a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and eventually every state followed suit. It’s clear, everyone who has thought it through agrees: it’s important to take our labor seriously, for Christians there’s more than one reason….
If you are a Christian, you’ve come to appreciate the great personal benefits of an ongoing relationship with the Living Lord. True Christians can’t keep their excitement to themselves (when we find a treasure, we’re excited and what to tell people!). Unfortunately, often when we share it, the unbeliever, or skeptic, isn’t interested. How can we get their attention? By speaking their own language and gaining their respect. Demonstrating an impressive work record gets a lot of people’s attention. Once we’ve earned an open relationship with others through our works, we can begin to briefly share how our relationship with Christ helps us in our work. That leads to opportunities to share more in-depth witnessing. That can lead to inviting your co-working non-believer to church with you. I can’t count how many times over the years the Lord has led non-believers to Christ through me by first earning their respect in our mutual work assignments. Or, sometimes, it’s a matter of discovering that a coworker is a fellow believer and through our work our spiritual relationship emerges: a brotherly/sisterly bond explodes, and work becomes exciting! The specific work we are doing is irrelevant: the point is, doing it for the right purpose….
“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men,…” Colossians 3:23
Blessing Always In All Ways,
Steve
<><
posted by BreadBakers at 12:38 PM
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